In May 2016, Plastics for Change was hired by the Ocean Conservancy to conduct a landscape analysis of plastic pollution in Indonesia, Vietnam and Philippines. Our specific role was to and research business inclusive models for reducing ocean plastic leakage.

Without immediate intervention, there is expected to 1 tonne of plastic for every 3 tonnes of fish in the ocean in fewer than 10 years. With oil prices at an all-time low, coupled with growing population levels and economic prosperity, plastic production and consumption are predicted to double over the coming decade.

Plastics for Change worked closely with The Closed Loop Fund, Encourage Capital, Ocean Conservancy, Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) & Waste2Worth Innovations to co-author the research report: THE NEXT WAVE Investment Strategies for Plastic Free Seas. The goal of this APEC sponsored initiative is to sustainably reduce the amount of plastic waste leaking into the ocean annually by 50% by 2025

The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the root causes of ocean plastic leakage and strategies for dramatically reducing the problem in the next ten years. This finding were summarized in 9 APEC policy and practice recommendation. One of the recommendations is to support programs for the social and economic inclusion of waste pickers, since this informal sector is responsible for 80-90% of the recycling activities in developing countries. Another key part of the equation is to increase the demand for waste plastic by creating incentives for brands and manufacturers to use recycled plastic not virgin plastic.

Plastics for Change was invited to speak about the research with world leaders at the APEC global summit in Tokyo. You can find the full report here. Please share on social media.